Best AI tutor: the short answer
The best AI tutor is the one that teaches rather than answers, works on your own material, and marks like the real exam. No single app wins every category — a flashcard tool, a maths solver and a video library each do one job well. For daily exam revision built from your own notes, Skoolskill is the strongest fit; for free video courses Khan Academy leads; for step-by-step maths Photomath leads.
This guide gives you the checklist, then an honest table so you can match a tool to your situation instead of trusting a star rating.
The five-point checklist
- Teaches, doesn’t just answer. A solver that prints the answer trains dependence. Good tutoring shows the method and then quizzes you.
- Uses your own material. Your weak topics are specific to your class. Tools that only serve their own library can’t revise exactly what your teacher set.
- Exam- and mark-scheme-aware. Practice should look like the real paper and be graded the way examiners grade.
- Spaced and daily. Learning sticks through frequency. Look for short daily sessions and spaced repetition, not one long cram.
- Honest about limits. A tool that admits when a human is better is more trustworthy — and usually more useful.
How the main options compare
| Tool | Best at | Own-notes practice | Mark-scheme grading | Free tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skoolskill | Daily exam revision from your notes | Yes (scan to quiz) | Yes | Yes |
| Khan Academy | Free structured video courses | No | No | Yes (all free) |
| Photomath | Step-by-step maths solving | No | No | Yes (limited steps) |
| Quizlet | Huge shared flashcard library | Partial (manual sets) | No | Yes (ads) |
| Chegg | Expert textbook solutions | No | No | No (trial only) |
| Anki | Customisable spaced repetition | Yes (you build decks) | No | Yes (desktop/Android) |
Every tool in that table is genuinely good at its lead column. The differences are about job fit, not quality.
Pricing at a glance
| Tool | Paid plan (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Skoolskill Pro | ~£6.99 / $6.99 per month |
| Khan Academy | Free |
| Photomath Plus | ~$9.99/month |
| Quizlet Plus | ~$7.99/month |
| Chegg Study | ~$15.95/month |
| Anki | Free, except iOS app (~$24.99 one-off) |
Prices are taken from each tool’s public pricing pages and change over time — check current figures before subscribing.
Who should pick which
- Pick Skoolskill if you want short daily practice generated from your own notes and past papers, graded like the exam.
- Pick Khan Academy if you want free, structured video courses and don’t need your own material.
- Pick Photomath if you mainly need to see how a specific maths problem is solved, step by step.
- Pick Quizlet if you want a massive ready-made flashcard library and study games.
- Pick Chegg if you need worked textbook solutions across many subjects and will pay for them.
- Pick Anki if you enjoy building and tuning your own spaced-repetition decks.
When an AI tutor isn’t the right tool
- You have exam anxiety or a learning difference that needs human coaching — start with a person.
- You’re years behind in a subject and need structural catch-up, not daily drilling.
- You learn best by talking a problem through aloud with someone who can read your confusion.
For most students, the honest path is a human for coaching plus an AI tutor for daily practice — see our AI tutor vs human tutor breakdown.
Get started — free
- Create a free account — no credit card.
- Tell us your exams and subjects.
- Scan a page of your real notes or a past paper.
- Get your first quiz in under three minutes.
Start free — free tier always available.